


The bitter truth of the world

by Kale_32



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Anger, Attempted Seduction, Breaking down, Character Death, Cheating, F/M, Glossaryck(mentioned), Love Confessions, Ludo(mentioned), Mass Destruction, Secret Relationship, passionate making out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29092050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kale_32/pseuds/Kale_32
Summary: this fanfic is made with the idea that Toffee didn't die and somehow lived after Star's butterfly transformation
Relationships: Star Butterfly/Marco Diaz, Tom Lucitor/Janna Ordonia
Kudos: 5





	1. The start of something new

**Author's Note:**

> this fanfic is made with the idea that Toffee didn't die and somehow lived after Star's butterfly transformation

-"This , doesn't feel right"  
-"and I think you know why"

Today was the day. Marco had waited long enough.  
"Ok , ok. Today I ask Jackie Lynn Thomas out" Marco said , sounding extremely nervous.  
He took a deep breath. "Yeah I can't do that"  
"Wait" Star said as she took Marcos arm.  
"You said you will do it"  
-"well yeah but .. not today. I still need to think"  
-"about what?  
-"what I'm gonna say"  
-"Marco , we rehearsed this! I had to put on some rather revealing short jeans and I'm not going to let that be in vain'  
-"sorry Star , I ..."  
-"no no no no , you will do it"  
-"can I just not do it now?"  
-"when then?"  
-"ahh , after school .. maybe"  
-"after school it is"  
Star sighed in disappoinment as she got to her locker.  
Marco felt a bit bad. She did rehearse with him , and he felt pretty courageous today , but it all came shattering for some unknown reason.

School progressed as usual , with Star and Janna fooling around in the back.  
Janna had become one of Star's closest friends.  
Janna always teased Marco which made Star giggle a bit.  
They always shared lunch with each other , and it was getting to the point that Marco was starting to maybe feel just a bit jealous.  
The bell rang and that marked Marco's most terrifying action that he had to do.  
Ask Jackie Lynn Thomas out.  
"Marco , if I come back home and hear that you didn't do it , I will kill you ... by asking you to make 100 bowls of nachos for me" Star said.  
"Ok ok , I just need to set things up. But how?" Marco replied.  
"Just ask her out dude" Janna scooted into the conversation.  
-"it's not that easy"  
-"yes it is , let me demonstrate. Jackie , will you go out with me ?"  
-"haha , yes Janna it's easy for you to say it , but I need to set the mood or something , you know"  
-"then ask her to the park , that oughta work"  
-"the park you say. Not a bad idea"  
"Then go safe kid" Star said as she punched Marco's arm lightly.  
Marco went to Jackie.  
"Well , I gotta go" Janna said as she took her stuff from her locker.  
"Ah, come on. Don't you want to see what happens ?" Star said disappointed.  
"Nah , I'm fine. Catch you later." Janna waved her hand as she started getting away.  
"Ok Marco , let's see how will you manage this."

Star was hiding behind the schools entrance as she looked from far away. She couldn't make out what where they saying , but it seemed like Jackie had agreed to go to the park with Marco as they both spoke with each other while walking towards the park.  
Star ... wasn't happy for some reason.  
She didn't know why. She had been cheering on Marco for so long and yet , it didn't feel right to see what she had just witnessed.  
She quickly ran to where Janna lived.  
She claimed the hidden ladder that Janna had used multiple times to sneak out at night to go on adventures with her and Marco.  
She enterd her room from the window , and saw a rather suspicious looking Janna.  
This wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Janna , Star had done this on multiple occasions , so it was a bit weird for her to look like she did.  
But Star didn't have time to play detective.

-"Janna , Janna you gotta help me"  
-"oh , uh .. hey Star. What's up"  
-"Janna , remember when I told you that I was over Marco , even though I kinda confessed my crush on him in the most embarrassing way possible"  
-"yeah"  
-"well ,.. I lied. I still have a crush on him. What should I do?"  
-"I don't know , maybe tell him that"  
-"but he's alr... Wait , you're not surprised to know that I still like Marco"  
-"Star , have you ever payed attention on how you act when your near Marco ? Or for that matter how Marco acts when he's near you?"  
-"..no"  
-"to put it simply , it's obvious that you like him and that he likes you"  
-"wait , what ?"  
-"you two are so oblivious to the fact that you like each other that the school has a betting on who will confess first. I personally have 30 bucks on you"  
-"wait , so the entire school thinks so? ... even Jackie?"  
-"even Jackie says that Marco like you"  
Star took a moment to process all the information.  
"Janna , I've gotta leave" she said as she opened the bedroom door.  
"Go get me my 30 bucks" she said as she closed the door.  
Suddenly , the closet door opeed.  
-"is she gone?"  
-"yeah she's gone"  
The person inside the closet came out.  
It was Tom.  
"That was close" Tom said.  
"Very close" Janna replied  
-"so , uh , shall we continue?"  
-"really ? You're asking me that?  
-"I uh , I'm not sure I just"  
Janna stepped forward and planted a kiss oh Tom's lips.  
-"You talk too much"  
"Good thing you know how to stop me" Tom said as he was the one to initiate the kiss this time.  
"I've gotta go though. I've been here for some time" Tom said as he broke the kiss.  
"Can't you just stay a bit more?" Janna asked.  
-"I'm not sure"  
-"please"  
Tom looked into Janna's eyes. He was lost in the beauty that he observed.  
"I guess staying a bit longer won't hurt."

'ok Marco , keep it together. You can do it'  
It was getting dark.  
Marco and Jackie had so much fun talking and walking in the park.  
Marco felt very comfortable when talking to Jackie unlike any other time.  
It was 7 P.M. and both were sitting on a bench.  
This was it , Marco's only shot. And he had to take it.  
"Um , Jackie , there's something I wanted to tell you" he said gathering all of his courage.  
"Yes Marco" Jackie said in her caring tone.  
Marco got ready to say it.  
He wanted to speak , but he couldn't.  
Something was holding him back. It's wasn't fear , or nervousness. It was something else.  
"Marco ?" Jackie said concerned.  
"Why why WHY !?" Marco said frustratingly.  
He stood up from his rage.  
-"what's the matter Marco?"  
-"why can't I just say it ?"  
-"say what"  
-"say that I like you. Say that I have liked you since kindergarten. Say how much I would like to take you on a date. All of it but.."  
Marco sat down.  
"But what ?" Jackie asked.  
-"This , doesn't feel right"  
-"and I think you know why"  
-"yes , I do. I like Star more than I like you"  
-"and that's fine Marco. You shouldn't force yourself to like me."  
-"but ... but I've liked you for so long. It feels weird that all of a sudden I like this entirely new girl."  
-"but that's good."  
Marco sighed as he layed back on the bench.  
"What now ? If it took me this long and I didn't even tell you I liked you , how long will it take for me to find the courage to tell Star ?" He said as he looked into the sky.  
-"doesn't Star have a crush on you ?"  
-"not anymore. She said that she's over it"  
-"really Marco ?"  
-"what do you mean ?"  
-"dude ! Star is totally into you. And you are into her ! What does it take for you two idiots to tell each other how you feel ? The entire school knows it"  
-"wait the entire school knows it ?"  
-"yes. now come on"  
Jackie and Marco both stood up.  
Jackie kissed Marco on the cheek.  
"Go get her , rad kid"

Marco was running towards home. He had to tell Star the truth before it was too late.  
But before he could get there , he saw Star running towards him.  
He stopped as he got closer to her.  
Both were our of breath.  
-"Hey"  
-"Hey"  
-"so .. did you tell Jackie the thing ?"  
-"uh .. no actually I didn't."  
-"oh .. why ?"  
-"because I like you Star"  
Time had stopped for both of them.  
Marco awaiting an answer , Star shocked by the words Marco had just said.  
-"You ... You like me?"  
-"Yes. Yes Star I do like you. Much more than a friend."  
Star didn't hesitate to jump into Marco's arms.  
"I like you too" she said as she hugged him.  
Both were showed in bliss and joy.  
Marco hugged Star as they both started swinging , laughing.  
Eventually they stopped and had a good look at each other.  
Both closed their eyes as they approached closer and closer, finally kissing each other.  
It was a soft , warm kiss.  
Star's lips where soft while Marco's where a bit rough.  
But it didn't matter for Stat. He was kissing Marco.  
Both stopped for some air and locked their forehands into each other.  
"I guess Janna lost 30 bucks" Star said under her breath.  
She quickly got back to kissing Marco.  
Both were in what could only be described as the best moment of their life.


	2. Surprise ...

It's was a rather gloomy day in echo Creek. Cloudy and rain droplets slowly rising in speed.  
Although it was not your ideal day , Marco loved it. Every single bit of it.  
The almost dark streets , the gentle breeze , the rain sound of rain hitting the window as well as the aroma that it created when hitting the concrete.

Star on the other hand was more of a sunshine person. She loved the smooth dry grass , the sun lighting the day and the warmth.

"Ahhh , it's rainy ... Again." Star said as she heard the sound of the rain hitting the window.  
"This is the 3rd time in a row ! Come on earth , I thought you were the reasonable dimension. Why do you rain in summer ?"  
It was obvious that she was rather frustrated by this unusual weather.  
Star got off her bead with her pajamas , and blasted to Marco's room.  
"MARCO!" she yelled as she slammed the door.  
Being a Sunday , Marco was hoping for his day to start nicer , and this was reflected in his reaction.  
"AHHH ! ... Star ! What are you doing ?" He said a bit frightened and confused.  
"Marco , why is it raining ?" She questioned as she jumped into his bed and his arms.  
"Cause , ... water molecules are now heavy enough to fall ?" He answerd , not so sure if Star was asking a serious question or not.

-"No , I mean that we are in summer ! And it's supposed to be sunshine and lilly's but it's not !"

-"well that's more of a climate change matter. But hey , it's not that bad. It's really soothing honestly."

-"climate change? What's that ?"

-"really Star ? Are you serious ? We just studied that last week."

-"... To my knowledge , we didn't"

-"uh , yes we did ! And I know so because when we got back home , you asked me to review it for you and I stayed up all night talking , only to realize that you had your open eye sleep spell on you."

-"heh , yeah ... Sorry about that. But I want sunshine , NOW!"

-"sorry Star. Unless you can change the climate back to normal somehow , this rain is here to stay. ... Mostly"

-"hmmm , change the climate back to normal you say..." 

Star had a visible , oh I know what to do , sort of glee.  
She giggled a bit and stepped out of Marco's room.  
"I should've not said that" Marco told himself as he knew he had to follow Star so that she doesn't make a mess.  
He put on his -at this point iconic- red hoddie and rushed outside.  
Star used her wand to summon cloudy so that she can go to the atmosphere and change the climate.  
Marco jumped and grabbed cloudy at the last second.  
Star helped him up.  
"Um .. Star. What are you doing ?" Marco asked as he adjusted his hoodie.  
"Getting some sunshine" she answered as she was still soaking wet.

-"no , I mean about the wand. Didn't we agree that it might be a bit dangerous to use it?"

-"well , I'm not really stressing it am I ? I just summoned cloudy , and that's it."

-"yeah but , were not sure how does this new wand operate"

-"it operates just like before."

-"yeah , but the whole Toffee being the wand really messes with my head"

"Marco ..." Star said as she saw the boy look worried.  
She sat down near him and scooted closer to him.  
"Look , I'm worried as well. But we fought Toffee and won ! We can take on him again if he comes back" she assured Marco.

"Yeah I know. It's just ... I almost lost you Star. I don't want that to happen again." Marco said as he took Star's hand.

Star blushed a bit.  
"Don't worry , I'm not going anywhere"

-"anyways , how do you plan to change the climate?"

-"Marco ! Please , I'm a magic master. I'm sure I have something in my arsenal that can get us some sunshine."

-"not to deny anything you said Star , but do you even know how the climate works ? Cause I don't , and if I don't then you for sure don't know either"

-"..... Fair point. To Janna's then !"

Cloudy acted on command and raced to Janna's home.

Star and Marco got off and Star rang the doorbell.  
Janna oppend the door.

"Hey Star , safe kid." Janna greeted them.  
"Hey Janna" Marco said sounding a bit mad.

J : "so , what brings you guys here ?"

S : "Janna we need your help."

M : "I don't have anything to do with this."

S : "we need to find a way to change the climate."

M : "still have nothing to do with this"

J : "why do you of all people wanna mess with the climate ?"

S :" I need my sunshine Janna ! I .. Need .. My .. Sunshine..."

J :"chill chill ! Alright. I'll help"

S :"really ? Oh thank you thank you thank you"

J :"we just need to create some sort of wind that will carry the clouds somewhere else. Although it won't change the temperature , it'll introduce some sunshine"

S : "but the whole reason I want sunshine is the warmness"

J : "one step at a time"

With that , Janna joined Marco and Star to their trip to the atmosphere.

"Ok , how far do we need to go up ?" Marco asked.

"Until we're a little bit over the clods" Janna said as she put on her oxygen mask.

"How did you get that here ?" Marco said surprised.

-"Oxygen density will gradually decrease as we go higher and higher. So a constant source of it is necessary."

-"I don't have an oxygen tank"

-"don't worry , Star said she'll fix it up... Hopefully"

As they got higher , Marco felt the air get thinner and thinner , and so did Star.  
She used her wand to fix her and Marco a spacesuit.

"A space suit .. really ?" Marco said as he seemed a bit disappointed.

"I had to think on the fly , I'm sorry" Star apologized.

Finally , they were over the clouds.  
They could see the sun , emitting and orange light. The coulds underneath them that looked like little cotten balls.  
It was truly a sight to behold.

"Alright ..." Star said as she got ready to use her wand.  
"Super tornado wind gust !" She yelled , but nothing happened.  
"Uh ... Super tornado wind gust !" She tried again but nothing changed.

"Uh , .. maybe it's .. uh" Star was thinking about what was the actual name of the spell.  
"You alright Star ?" Marco asked concerned.

-"yeah yeah I'm ... I don't remember the spell."  
-  
-"I thought the whole point of the wand being yours is that you can create spells."

-"we need to go back to Mewni and get the spell book"

-"woah woah. Mewni ?"

-"please Marco..."

-"Didn't your mom say to star here and don't visit Mewni until she says so?"

-"come on ! It'll be like a surprise!" 

-"but what about Toffee ? He's still out there and he's looking for you"

-"Marco , it's not long since we deafened Toffee right ?"

-"where are you going with this ?"

-"I'm saying that Toffee took quite a beating and he needs his rest. He can't possibly to anything now in his damaged stage."

"Yeah , don't be bummer dude." Janna commented.

"...fine" Marco agreed.

All three came back to the ground and Marco used his dimensional scissors to open a portal to Mewni.

They went through the portal and found themselves just outside of the kingdom , in a nearby forest.  
They walked to the kingdoms entrance , only to see no one outside , and no one inside for that matter.  
It was like a ghost town.  
"Um , hello !" Star yelled , only for her voice to get echoed.  
The further they went , the more scarier it got.  
Some houses were destroyed. Crops and other goods were spilled on the ground , and when they reached the castles entrance , the doors where broken open.  
This was not a good sign.  
No gaurds , no one. Just a pair of busted castle doors.  
The three sticked together , as all of them were confused by what was going on.  
They entered the castle , only to see it wrecked.  
Vases shattered , curtains ripped off , the scent of blood present in the air.  
There was no doubt about what had happened , but no one wanted to believe it.  
Star was terrified.  
She looked at her surroundings with horror.  
She saw no one.  
She spoke with her shaky tone "Mom ... Dad..."


	3. A horrifying understanding

Star was shaking. She could only think about what could've happend to her parents.  
Where are they ? What are they doing now ? Are they safe ?   
"Mom ... Dad ..." She shouted mildly.  
Marco and Janna both could tell that she was very stressed.  
Marco kept looking around to find anything.  
The castle was crashed , but no one was anywhere.  
No bodies , but blood stains and scent were present , and this was enough of a clue for the three to draw their conclusion.  
Star was about to break down.   
She fell to her knees and tried to hold herself together.  
"Star !" Marco said as he ran towards her.  
He kneeled down to check on Star.  
She was on the verge of crying. Her parents were gone , and from the looks of it brutally.  
"It's ... Toffee , isn't it ?" Star asked Marco.  
Marco didn't know how to respond. The idea of Toffee being behind all of this did linger his mind , but the evidence didn't stack up.

M : "no. I don't think so"

S : "What do you mean you don't think so !? Who else could be behind this ?"

M : "thinks about it Star. He almost died when you attacked him. He could barely run. No one can recover that fast from something.."

S : "I should've ended it all right there and there. I failed and now , ... now ... I .."

Marco hugged Star to comfort her.  
"It's not your fault Star" he said as he stroked her back.

Janna kept silent all along. She knew she had no saying in the matter.  
She kept looking around , only to suddenly find something.  
"Uh ... Guys" she said in a terrified voice.  
She pointed at a door. Upon further looking , Star and Marco both realized what had made Janna so scared.  
It was Toffee's hand. Cut from it's wrist , still holding on to the door knob.  
Star put two and two together , and had a vague idea of what had happened.  
"Mom ..." She said faintly.  
It was the only possibility. Moon is the only one who knows about the spell that can dismantle Toffee.  
She must've used it , but she couldn't catch Toffee with it , only his hand.  
They opened the door , to see a magic mirrior , almost shattered but barely holding , but what frightened them the most was the visible trail of blood on its cracks.  
"Magic .. mirrior" Star's voice trembled.  
The mirror turned on. It was still functional.  
Star noticed the mail icon had a little red dot near it , indicating that there was a massage left.  
She commanded the magic mirror to open the massage.  
The massage was from non other than Toffee.  
A video massage that started completely silent with Toffee doing nothing but just staring.

"Now that I've got your attention , let me tell you what has happened.  
I'm sure if you are viewing this massage , then you're either the red jacket kid , the demon boy , or Star Butterfly herself.  
If you are not Star , get this massage to her.  
Star Butterfly , I have your parents. your kingdom is destroyed , and if you don't want anymore blood to be spilled , you bring that wand to me willingly , or I will continue this killing spree , and the first people who will die are your parents.  
Bring the wand to the location stored in the text file in the mirrior.  
And come alone , or else"

Star could only stare. She was waiting for any resemblance of her mother and father , but there were non. It was only Toffee , warning her and asking for the wand.

Star went to a corner and sat down as she gathered her thoughts. Marco went ahead to sit with her , while Janna called Tom to tell him of what had happened.

"He , has them." Star told Marco.  
"Let's just go back home and think this through. The shock will not let you think straight." Marco suggested.  
"I can't Marco , my ... My parents might be dead" she said as she held her tears back.  
"Star , believe me when I say I'm as worried as you are, but Toffee is a master criminal , we need to think before we act. We can't just whale in like we did with Ludo" Marco responded.  
He pulled Star into a hug and let her empty herself.

"And apparently , he has Queen Moon and King River ." Janna told Tom over the phone.  
"I'll be there right now" Tom said and hung up.  
In less than a minute , Tom was at the kingdom.  
He saw the how it had all crumbled.  
As he made his way to the castle , he noticed an torso that seemed a lot like a lizards.  
"Wait , if Toffee is behi.."   
Tom came to a terrifying conclusion.  
He rushed toward the castle.

"Tom !? What are you doing here ?" Marco said.  
"No time" Tom answerd. "Look"   
He showed the torso.  
"Wait , that looks like a Lizards torso." Marco said.  
"Which I'm afraid that all of you might be able to know what it means." Tom said.

Star didn't want to say it , but she understood what it meant.  
"Toffee .. has an army"


	4. Solutions

"Wait wait , an army ? Isn't that a bit too extreme of a conclusion to jump to just by a single torso ?" Tom said as he heard Star present the idea.

"Think about it ! Toffee is the only lizard creature that we know of and this destruction is not the work of Toffee or any other lazy bad guy crew. This right here is proof that Toffee has found a way to create clones of himself." Star explained.

Tom : "but Star ! This is a very big assumption to .."  
Star : "Tom ! It's obvious that this is Toffee's way of destruction"  
Marco : "Tom's right Star. Going off of a torso is a bit ..."  
Star : "Marco !! Are you serious ? Did all of you forget that for a better part of a year , Toffee had access to the spell book ?"  
Janna : "wait , didn't we come here for the spell book ? Where is it ?"

Star realized that if by a minuscule chance the spell book was not taken , she might be able to defeat Toffee.  
She raced upstairs to her mother's room.  
On the table , there she saw it. The spell book.  
She got closer and closer but as she did , she realized the uneven papers sticking out of the side.  
She opened the book , only to see it ripped and burnt.   
All that she had hoped for , their one chance of having some sort of way to combat Toffee ... it was gone.

Star took the book in her hand. Parts of it had already turned into ahses.  
She had nothing. Nothing at all.  
Marco came in the room and found Star looking at the book.  
He galnced around as he saw the bookshelves broken , books torn an pen ink everywhere.  
He was sad , but he knew that he could never even imagine what Star was going through.  
He wanted to speak with her , but he figured that he'll let Star collet her thoughts.

He went back downstairs. Tom was looking around.  
"Marco" Tom called him as he looked uncomfortable.

-"Look , I know Star might just be saying stuff , but she might be right."  
-"Tom ! Are you really going to believe that Toffee was able to create a whole army ?"  
-"look , I know it's insane but .. look at all of this. She's right , this is no goon bad guys group work."  
Marco looked around , and the more he looked , the more convinced he was.  
"What should we do ?" He asked Tom.  
"No matter what , we should be prepared for a large group if not an army" Tom responded.  
Star returned downstairs.  
"Ok , let's just get out of here" she said as she walked out of the castle.

The group returned to earth with Marco's scissors.  
They all agreed that they needed some sort of plan inorder to fight against Toffee.  
Although the majority didn't side with Star , they also had to be prepared for the possibility of an amry.  
They all went to Janna's home.  
She usually lived alone , as her parents were on business trips and she had made her previous care taker go borderline crazy.  
Marco and Tom chatted while Janna was trying her best to cheer Star up.

Marco : "you think maybe we can get some help from your parents and their military ?"

Tom : "I wanna say definitely , but to be honest my parents and Stars haven't had the best of relations with each other. Mainly due to the fact that Star broke up with me."

Marco : "oh .. umm"

Tom : "don't worry man."

Marco : "what?"

Tom : "look , I know that I've been a jerk to you and might've taken some extreme measures to separate you and Star"

Marco : "don't you say."

Tom : "the point I'm trying to make is that I'm over Star. There is someone new now."

Marco : "Tom , I'm very glad that you had grown and have understood some stuff but now is not the time"

Tom : "sorry. My bad."

Marco : "I think we can get some help from monsters , but your kingdoms help will be very important."

Tom : "I'll do my best. Hey , isn't Toffee's whole thing destroying the magic and stuff ?"

Marco : "where're you getting with this ?"

Tom : "maybe we can get help from the high magic commission or something. You know the diamond guy and that fire girl that has a thing for ya"

Marco : "yeah , but that'll only put Star in more trouble than she already is. Those guys can be jerks and I can guarantee you that they'll say something like Star being the main reason this all happened cause she couldn't finish off Toffee or something"

Tom : "I'm sure she can defend herself against these sort of accusations."

Marco : "I hope so.."

Tom : "alright. I'm off to give the news to everybody and ask them for help. You try to get help from monsters and Star and Janna can deal with the magic dudes"

Marco : "sure thing."


	5. Don't leave ...

Tom had no luck. His parents didn't agree to help him and Star. It was all due to their childish rivalry with Mewni.  
Marco didn't have much luck either , as monsters didn't want to lock horns with Toffee.  
Star and Janna were out too , as the magic commission recognized Star as the one that caused all of the problems. She and Janna only escaped due to the fact that hekapoo owed Marco a favor that Star decided to use.  
The 4 were on their own.  
Star had learned how it all works. Kingdom alliances don't mean anything when someones own kingdom is not in trouble.  
She had to do it by herself.  
She didn't want to put anyone in danger and hurt more people than she already had.

"Well at least I can grab stuff !" Janna shouted as she and Star left the room.  
Star looked like she was deciding on a plan. Zoned out and not blinking once.  
Janna waved her hands to snap Star out of her train of thoughts.  
"You OK star ?" Janna asked her.

-"no. I'm not"

-"hey now ! Don't worry. I'm sure Tom and Marco have got some help. We'll manage this"

-"but if I just ..."

-"Star , this is not your fault."

-"they're right Janna ! If I had the guts to kill Toffee right there and there , non of this would've happened."

-"Star ! No , that's not true ! These guys don't even care about you ! All they want is to pass the blame onto someone else."

Star calmed down and breathed. She knew that if she told everyone that she was going alone , they wouldn't agree. So she had to sneak out.  
Although , it was strange that the magic high commission didn't really care if Toffee's ultimate goal was to destroy the magic.  
Unknown to Star , the magic high commission didn't see Star as a worthy and strong magic user , certainly not powerful or knowledge enough to destroy the magic.  
They also thought that Toffee's inexperience in magic usage won't pose a threat to the integrity of magic.  
This was their one ticket to get rid of Star and Mewni as a magic wand holder , as they were more interested in the underworld to wiled the wand and destroy the threats.

Star and Janna went back to Janna's home.  
After about 4 hours later , Marco came knocking.  
Janna asked him about how many monsters did he mange to gather , but Marco's answer wasn't what she and Star were hoping for.  
About an hour afterwards , Tom came back with no better news than Marcos.

This was -in her idea- Star's sign that she has to deal with this alone.

Nighttime came and she was prepared to leave. She had to be quick with the whole business since Marco could practically smell where Star was and use his scissors to open a portal to her location.

When she went outside to open a portal , she saw Marco , sitting on the rooftop.  
She didn't want to get Marco mixed into this , but she also wanted to be with him.  
She made her way to the roof.

"Hey." She said with a smile as she sat next to him.  
"Hi" he answerd as he was lost in her eyes.

Star scooted closer to Marco.  
He warped his arm around her.  
Star didn't want to loose this moment. She didn't want to leave.  
"Star.." Marco said as he sounded a bit down.

"Why were you leaving without us ?"

-"what ? No no. I wasn't leaving. I just came to uh .. get some fresh air ! That's all"

-"Star... Please.."

-"... I don't want to get you guys mixed into this. This is something I have to deal with. I don't want you people to get hurt because of something that I wasn't able to accomplished."

-"Star ! We're here for you. You don't have to do this alone."

-"but Marco you don't und.."

Marco didn't let Star end her sentence.  
He cupped her cheek with his hand.  
He looked into her eyes. Lost in them like a fish in an ocean.  
He came closer and closer , until their lips touched.  
Star didn't do anything. She let it happen.  
Both were frozen at the spot.  
Time didn't flow for them.  
Star became more aggressive with the kiss , eventually pinning Marco down to the ground.  
She tried to introduce some tongue.  
Marco quickly picked up on the fact that Star seemed desperate.  
He stopped Star for if he hadn't , things might go to places that both will regret.

"Star ! Please stop." Marco said as he tried to stop her.  
Star didn't care. She kept kissing Marco.  
Then Marco saw it. She was crying.  
She wasn't desperate. She was sad.  
Star thought this was the last time she'll see Marco.  
She thought this was their last kiss.

Marco forced his way out of the kiss.  
Now he was the one pinning Star down.  
"Star ! I'm not going anywhere" Marco said as he hugged her.  
She hugged him back and continued crying.  
"I ... Don't want to go Marco"  
Those words struck his heart.  
She was very scared , and he understood why.  
A 16 year old should never go through what she was going through.  
He wanted to encourage her and give her hope ... but he wanted her to stay.  
The truth was that Marco didn't want Star to leave. He didn't want her to be in danger.  
Something that seemed to be him just worried about her had slowly turned into a selfish desire.  
One that he himself realized and was aware of , but yet he didn't act upon it.

"It's ok Star. You don't have to. We'll figure something" he said , trying to comfort her.  
He could feel her heartbeat , gently getting slower and slower.  
He felt every heartbeat.  
Her skin was soft. She was warm. The feeling of having her in his arms was one that he'll go to any length to keep.  
He knew that what he wanted was selfish , but he kept telling himself that it's the logical thing to do , to not give Toffee the opportunity to destroy the magic.

Star broke the hug and saw a sad Marco.  
He was still thinking about if what he wanted was the right way of doing things.  
Star however , thought that Marco was sad because she wanted to leave alone.  
This time , she cupped Marco's face with her hand.  
She gave him a peck , which made Marco indistinguishable from a red cherry.  
"I'm .. sorry Marco." Star said.

"It was a dumb idea to leave alone. And maybe a bit selfish. But I promise that no matter what , we'll stick together from now on" 

Marco smiled and looked at the sky.  
He laid down , and Star followed suit.  
They spent the night pointing at different stars and making wired and whacky shapes by connecting them together.  
A moment of pure joy that they'll not trade it for anything in the world.


	6. it has to be done

The cold night was no match for his desire to be with Star.  
Marco had his arms wrapped around the princess , who's face was buried in his chest.  
She was fast asleep , but Marco had much to think.  
Will he be able to look at the bigger picture , or will his own selfishness mess everything up ?  
He didn't want to be the villian of her story.  
He needed to talk to someone , but maybe not now.  
After about 10 minutes , when the clock had striked 3 A.M.  
He gently let go of Star and climed down. In this time , there was only one person he could really talk to and he was - weirdly enough - Tom.  
He slowly walked into Janna's room and shook Tom awake.  
"Tom ... Tom ..." He whispered as he tried to wake him up.  
Tom woke up and Marco asked him if he could talk to him.  
Tom really wanted to sleep , but Marco was - weirdly enough - his best friend.

Both walked out to the backyard.  
"What is it man?" Tom asked , as he was clearly not happy being up at 3 A.M.  
"Tom .. I need to talk to you. It's about Star" he explained.

"Tom , I really like Star and .."

-"alright buddy , let me clear something here. I'm trying to catch her. I told you , I like someone else"

-"yeah , not what I wanted to talk about. It's mostly about me , not you"

-"how come ?"

-"I ... I don't think I can let Star go after Toffee"

-"why not?"

-"how could I let her ? She has no support , and Toffee seems to have some army of sorts. I can't let her do this"

-"woah there, we're gonna be there."

-"Tom! I just can't. ..... am I being .. selfish?"

-"kinda ... Look , no matter what , you can't stop her from going after Toffee. He has her parents. I don't think any amount of reasoning is going to be enough to convince her not to leave."

-"I know. If I tell her not to , I'm the biggest jerk in the universe."

-"you'd bet"

-"but ... What should I do then ? I don't want her to leave and she wants to.. it's too complicated."

-"Marco , I'm sure you can figure something out."

-"that's the problem. I can't and I don't think talking will get us to a different ending."

-"Marco , what are you thinking?"

-"look Tom. I li.. I love Star , but if I'm going to hold her back , then I'm not doing her any favors. If we just break up , that'll make her sad. If she wants to have any chances against someone like Toffee , she shouldn't have any emotional anchors."

-"I don't like where your going with this dude."

-"I ... I have to make her hate me. Get me out of her system. She has to remove any feelings for Marco Diaz."

-"Are you crazy? What the hell man .."

-"think about it Tom. If she just goes in there , she has to worry about me if I'm there. If I break up with her , she'll be emotionally scared and if I stay here , she'll always try to do something that'll be less effective because I'm back on earth and she wants to see me again. In any case scenario , I'll be holding her back."

-"so , ... You want to delete yourself from her memories?"

-"in some way , yes."

-"but how ? We don't have a spell book , and even if we did , we wouldn't know how to use it."

-"no , she has to hate me Tom. I must do something so terrible that she'll not be sad , but angry."

-"look , I still say that this option is a bit to extreme"

-"then why the hell did I just explain all of that to you"

-"then what about us ? She'll also have to worry about us."

-"no ! You guys can handle yourself. Your a underworld Prince for god sakes and Janna is quirky enough to know her ways with this stuff. I'm just some guy who knows the basics of karate and could barely hold his ground again Ludo."

-"so , what are you going to do?"

-"I really wished that it'll never come to this , but it has. I need your help with something Tom."

It was morning. Star found herself on the rooftop with Marco's jacket as her blanket , but no Marco.  
She looked around her to find him , but he was nowhere.  
She took another quick look around and after making sure that no one was around , she took a quick sniff of the jacket. It smelled exactly like Marco and hey , she was just curious to see if that was the case or not.  
She went inside and carried the jacket with her.  
She saw Janna and Tom preparing breakfast.  
Pancakes with honey and chocolate syrup.  
"Hey guys" she greeted the two.  
"Morning Star" both replied.  
There was still no sign of Marco.  
"By the way , where's Marco?" She finally asked.  
"Oh , he went to tell her parents about the whole going to a rescue mission to his parents." Tom replied.  
"He also mentioned saying goodbye to someone." Janna said.

Star finished breakfast.  
The pancakes were a bit overcooked , but as a whole , Janna and Tom made some delicious pancakes.  
"Now that that's out of the way.." Star said as she finished her 3rd plate full of pancakes.  
"What are we going to do ? We don't seem to have much time"

Tom : "relax Star. Marco and I discussed this and figured that Toffee will need both of your parents alive no matter what."

Star : "yeah, but this doesn't mean that we can just sit here and do nothing"

Tom : "I mean that we first need to gather supplies and make some sort of plan"

Star : "the plan is dead simple. We go in , beat Toffee's ass and get my parents out of there"

Tom : "fair enough , but we'll still need supplies. Who knows how long will that take"

Star had to agree with Tom on this one. She had no idea how long will they be doing this rescue and having food and water seemed like a good idea , so she rolled with it.

Janna , Star and Tom went to the mall at downtown to gather all they needed.  
As they were heading out , Star saw Marco at the entrance of the mall.  
"Marco !" She said excitingly as she started to run towards the entrance , but her momentum came to a halt because of what she saw next.  
Marco as kissing another girl. But not just any girl , no. He was kissing Jackie.  
Star's heart shattered. She could feel her chest aching as if some sort of heavy object had just fell on it.  
She couldn't believe it. The same Marco that had calmed her down , told her that he liked her .. he was standing there , with someone else.  
Then her mind clicked. Janna had mentioned saying goodbye to someone. Was that "someone" Jackie ?  
Her mind had all sorts of ideas , but the main one was that Marco didn't love her.  
She tried to convince her self that Jackie was the one that was forcing Marco into it , but the longer she looked , the more obvious it was that Marco had gave into the kiss.  
After what felt like an eternity , they stopped. Jackie hugged Marco and waved goodbye.  
Marco entered the shop and saw Star.  
He seemed shocked , exactly like if she wasn't supposed to see what had happened.

-"hey Star .."

-"Marco ... What was that ?" She was starting to get angry.

-"um .. what exactly ?" He seemed like he was trying to drift the conversation to something else but failed to find a subject to do so.

-"you ..." Her anger was completely visible on her face now. She didn't continue any further.

-"Star wait ! I .. I can explain"

-"no need for it Diaz. I know enough. Most certainly seen enough." 

She just stormed out. Janna followed her.

Tom came up to Marco.

Tom : "well , it lookes like it worked."

Marco : "yeah. She got really mad didn't she?"

Tom : "I still think that this is a very inefficient way to do this"

Marco : "well , nothing that we can do about it now"

Marco looked at Star walking away. He felt horrible. He would've never done something to hurt Star , but in this case it was for the best.

Marco looked at the ground. He put his hand on Tom's shoulder.

"Take care of her for me"


	7. A little bit for myself

Tom was still trying to convince Marco that they could find a better way , but Marco didn't agree with him. He had his mind settled. He was going to do what seemed to him the best option.  
"Tom , will you take care of her when .. you know .. she gets mad and goes to save her parents?" Marco asked him.  
"Sure thing dude , but come on Marco ! You two are THE prefect couple. Don't do this , there must be a better way."  
Marco didn't listen to him and went to do what he set to do.  
He left the housd and went to Jackie.  
She opened the door and it was clear that she was less than happy to have her peaceful sleep ruined.

-"Marco ? It's .. *yawn* god knows when. What are doing here ?"

-"Jackie , I know this is gonna sound weird but I need your help on something."

-"Look Marco , I'm kinda really tired and .."

-"it's very important and I assure you it's worth your sleep."

Jackie sighed and let Marco in.  
She was still in her PJ'S and she sat in front of Marco.  
"So Diaz. What brings you here this late ?"

Marco explained to Jackie about the whole Toffee thing and how he had Star's parents captive.  
"And that's why , I need your help."

-"oh my god. Don't worry , you can count on me."

-"no Jackie. I need you to help in another way."

-"how so ?"

-"you see , Star is this amazing princess from another dimension. She has her magic wand and she can hold her own ground. Tom being the prince of the underworld has his own tricks and Janna is quirky enough to know how to keep up. But I ... I can't do anything. I barely hold my own ground against Ludo , and he is basically a joke villain. Star cares a lot about me and I care a lot about her , but at the current state of things , I'll be holding her back. I need to break up with her , but not just break up. I need to make sure that I don't disturb her mind because she needs all the power and focus she has and , by the knowledge that I have of her , me being present in her mind will only divert her from her goal."

-"so you want to ... effectively erase yourself from her mind."

-"I have to make her be mad at me. A sudden burst of anger that'll make her just forget anything about me."

-"isn't there any better way to do this ?"

-"no , unfortunately."

-"so , what do you want me to do ?"

-"this is gonna sound weird , but I kinda need you to kiss me in front of Star."

-"do what now ?"

-"Star knows that I had a crush on you and by doing this , it should be enough to make her mad to that point."

The room went silent.  
Marco was thinking about how sad Star would be , and it was eating him alive. The thought of hurting her in anyway was bad enough , but this was necessary.

On the other hand , Jackie's thoughts were very different.  
She never admitted this , but she also had a crush on Marco. It stated since elementary school. She had somewhat moved past it , but part of her always wondered of what could've happend if she told him before he fell for Star.

She accepted. Marco thanked her and told her when and where she should be.

The next day , Jackie was at the spot. Marco came to her and made sure that Star saw him.  
He kissed Jackie.  
Jackie could feel the sadness Marco had.  
She did this to help Star , but part of it was for herself.   
Part of it was for her own pleasure.  
When they broke the kiss , she saw Marco's sad face.  
This was the moment that she realized how much Star meant to him.  
He put on a fake smile and went to play his act.  
She saw as Star stormed out of the mall , with Marco just watching.  
She felt horrible , but it was something that Marco wanted to do for Star's own good being.


	8. No plan

"I can't believe this"  
Star slammed the door as she enterd Janna's room.  
Janna didn't say anything. She just let Star be.  
"You need anything ?" Janna asked her.  
"Just .. can I have a moment .. to myself" Star said as she was holding her arm with a sad expression.  
Janna nodded and left the room. She didn't waste a second and asked Tom if he knew anything.  
Tom kept denying but she knew it when the prince was lying.  
It was a rather subtle thing but when Tom lied , his third eye would twitch slightly.  
She kept pressuring him until he came clean.  
"Fine fine" Tom said as he was getting a bit annoyed.  
He explained everything to Janna and Janna shared the same idea with Tom. "That could've been executed a lot better"

Star was mad , sad , heartbroken ... she couldn't believe that Marco still had feelings for Jackie, and worst of all that he had kept it secret.  
She always thought Marco was different , the he wouldn't keep anything from her.  
The fact that he had feelings for Jackie while lying to her was unacceptable at best.  
Star's cheek marks started to glow , but not in their sweet and cute pink color , but rather a violet blue color.  
Tears started to run down her cheeks. Maybe this had hurt Star more than Marco realized.  
She got her stuff together and decided that it wasn't time to be worried with boy problems right now.  
Every second that went by without then doing had a price that she couldn't pay. Her parents were captured by Toffee and she had to act upon that first.  
She opened the door and went to the living room were she found Tom and Janna talking.  
"No time to waste people" she said as she got her wand ready.

Tom : "Wait ! What about ..um .. you know .."

Star : "Who ? Marco ? He can die in hell"

Tom (in his head) : 'well at least she does absolutely hate you, so you got that one right'

Star : "come on , no time for chit chat"

Janna : "so we're just gonna go in blind without any plan ?"

Star : "we'll figure something. We can't just stand here."

Star opened a portal and pushed Janna and Tom through it.  
The place was a town in ruins. It seemed like it used to be a kingdom just like Mewni , but it had seen Toffee's treatment.  
It had a very overpowering gloominess. Such a big place void of any sound or voice was rather unsettling.  
Star had no plan. She was just gonna barrage in and take out as many of Toffee's men as she could. She had held herself against Toffee , what's stopping her from doing it this time ?  
"So , were just gonna go in ? No resemblance of a plan or anything ?" Tom asked , being obviously uneasy with that fact.  
"Toffee isn't all too powerful to be honest. When it comes to pure combat , he's as good as dead" Star said with a growing seriousness in her voice.  
She stepped towards what seemed like a castle entrance , or what remained of it.  
"Alright mom , dad. Here I come"


	9. Twisted methods

"She's taking an awfully long time , won't you say ?"  
Toffee sat in front of Moon who was chained.  
She tried to break free , but she couldn't.  
The sound of chains rattling was headache inducing to Moon and music to Toffee.

"If you land a single finger on her , I'll make you pay." Moon said as she gave Toffee a death glare.

Toffee had Moon and River captured for the better part of a week , and had gone through some "light" torturing as he calls it.  
He never carried out them himself , but rather his newfound lizard army did.  
A group of creatures just like Toffee. Mindless soldiers who do as told.  
This was accomplished thanks to his excellent memory of the times that Ludo had a full read-through of the magic book of spells.  
He convinced Glossaryck to help him.  
He's logic was that Glossaryck was supposed to help the person who had the wand , and since half of it was dissolved into Toffee , he had to help him in magic.  
Glossaryck being Glossaryck , agreed to do so and after moths of trying , he finally had an army.

The tortures were horrific.  
One of them had the soldiers inject syringes full of air under the skin.  
They held a hot rod in front of her eyes that were forcefully kept open. The pain was enough to make anyone go mad.  
They sperated her legs and put a two sided spear in between them and the muscles did the rest. She couldn't open her legs anymore , so they pressed against the spear.   
It's easy to assume that Toffee had arranged something similar - if not more horrible - for River.

"So queen Moon , still denying my request ?" Toffee asked.  
"Not in a million years." Moon said as she proceeded to spit on Toffee.  
Toffee took his pocket knife and stabbed Moons palm.  
Moon screamed in pain.  
"You either do as I tell you , or you see everyone you love die in front of you" Toffee said as he pushed the knife further.  
"You ... don't have the ... balls to do it" Moon responded.  
Eventually , Toffee pushed hard enough for the knife to protrude Moons palm.  
Moon's screams only got louder and louder as blood spilled on the ground.  
Toffee left the cell and told his soldiers to heal her hand.  
The truth was that Moon was a key component in his plan. Toffee wanted one thing and one thing only.  
To destroy magic.  
He didn't believe that Star had the power , nor the knowledge to destroy the magic. However Moon did and that's why no matter how much they hurt her , they always would heal her.  
He just needed a pressure point , and they pressure point was Star.  
Toffee knew that a mother would do anything for her child , and he wanted to use that fact to get what he wants. Toffee was ready to go to any length necessary to achieve his goal , even if he wouldn't be there to see it.

He entered a wrecked room that he called his "office". Walls broken , door barely holding yet he chose this room as his office.  
He enjoyed destruction , and this was nothing out of the ordinary for him.  
He sat on his chair and began to think.  
He's mind usually just jumped from subject to subject , never settling on one.  
As he was thinking , one of the soldiers knocked on his door and enterd without letting him give permission.  
"What is it ?" He asked frustrated.  
"She's here sir , with the help of two others" the soldiers answerd.  
"Only two ?.."   
Toffee had one major strength and one major weakness , both of which being that he never underestimated his opponent.  
On one hand , this was good as he was never really caught off guard.  
On the other , by not underestimating he sometimes over estimated , and this was most certainly one of them.  
He rekt and wrestled with his thoughts about what was Star's goal of coming here with only two other people.  
An ambush ? Some sort of distraction ?  
As such , he ordered the soldiers to proceed with caution , as he didn't know what was gonna happen but more importantly that he wanted Star alive.


	10. In midst of crisis

Star , Tom and Janna were walking slowly , making sure not to attract any attention.  
They walked down a rather narrow corridor until they reached the yard.  
An open space with a broken fountain in the middle of it.  
Star was cautious and was looking for some sort of gaurd camp. Somewhere that the soldiers will be able to monitor the place.  
She quickly caught onto 3.  
One at the other side of the yard gaurding what looked like an entrance to another part of the castle , one on far right protecting a basement and one at the top of an balcony that had a clear view to the entire section of the yard.  
Even if she was able to somehow sneak past the first two , there was nothing she could so about the last.  
So she chose what any sane person will do.  
"We're gonna hit 'em hard" she said as she pulled out her wand.  
"Wait what did you sa.." Tom couldn't finish his question before Star casted a narwhal blast to the balcony soldiers , as they would've been the easiest to "eliminate".  
Being like Toffee , you can't really "eliminate" these soldiers , the only thing you can do is to make them use a lot of their energy to restore and heal the damages they've taken.  
The hight of the balcony was pretty high , so it would at least give Star some time to duke it out with the other soldiers.  
Tom joined the fight with a fast fire ball blast to the soldiers attacking Star from the back while Janna did what Janna will do. Use the soldiers weapons against them , throwing in the usual foot trip in there when she could.  
What - in theory - should've been a quick fight took much longer than expected. Due to the fact that they had to fight the same soldiers up to 10 times meant that that one battle had all three beat up and tired.  
"We ... Huh huh ... We can't just ... Huh ... Fight like this" Tom said as he struggled to catch his breath.  
Star was exhausted. She couldn't think straight and just wanted to rest.  
Janna pointed at the entrance that they had came through and said "I think I saw something like a kitchen or storage or something. Maybe we can find some food there".  
Tom seemed to like the idea and so did Star as both started to follow Janna.  
They found a small room that was right at the start of the narrow hallway they went through that hosted wooden containers holding food that seemed to be ok to eat.  
There wasn't any water but wine glasses were plenty.  
They started to open the boxes but before they could even peak through , Tom stopped them.  
"Shhh" he said as she held both girls hands down.  
They heard what sounded like more soldiers.  
Star had her wand ready , and Tom held Janna close.  
Tom didn't want anymore fighting as even one soldiers could take them out due to their lack of stamina. He wished that they'll just gloss over the room , but he wasn't so lucky.  
Tom held the door shut as one soldier tried to open it.  
He couldn't hold it shut and that was enough for the gaurd to realize that someone was holding the door , and not just it being stuck or locked.  
The soldier tackled the door to open it.  
Tom flew to the wall and hit it pretty hard , effectively being knocked out cold.  
There were at least 5 gaurds.  
Star wanted to fight , but she couldn't as she didn't have Toms help , and she couldn't protect him either.  
She had to make a portal to Earth , but the problem was that it gave the soldiers a chance to go through the portal.  
Janna seemed to have read Star's mind as she tried to tackle the gaurds and by doing so was able to push the far enough to close the door again.  
"GO !" she yelled as she tried her best to keep the door closed.  
-"B.."  
-"GO NOW !"  
Star panicked and opened a portal and took Tom to Earth.  
Janna couldn't hold the door for any longer.  
The soldier came in , only to find Janna and no one else.  
"Where are the rest ?" One of them asked Janna.  
"Whats in it for me to tell you ?" She mocked him.  
The soldiers made quick work of capturing her , as she literally didn't have any more energy to fight back.  
Star and Tom returned to earth , at Marco's home.  
Tom was seriously injured and was in need of a rest and medical attention.  
The portal opened at the living room , where Marco was sitting on the couch.  
He was shocked at first.  
"Marco , help Tom. Now " Star said as she dragged Tom.  
Marco didn't let anytime pass and carried Tom to the sofa.  
Star sat on the couch.  
Marco prepared some food quickly for Star , and put a pillow under Tom's head as he let him rest and wake up.  
Star was - obviously - still mad at Marco , but at that time the only place she could think of was here.  
Marco sat on the ground , looking gloomy.  
Star didn't pay attention and after finishing her food quickly went upstairs.  
Marco didn't interfere as he knew that her job with Toffee wasn't finished.  
He also noticed that Jenna didn't come with them.  
At this point he just didn't know how to recat to the situation.


	11. Final attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happens during the previous chapter and before Star opened a portal to Marco's home.

Marco sat on the couch and sighed. He was sad and nothing seemed to cheer him up.  
He truly loved Star , and was ready to make her hate him if it ultimately made her happy.  
Jackie followed Marco to his home , worrying that he might do something stupid given the state of things.  
"Hello there Mr and Mrs Diaz" she shouted.  
"Don't bother. Mom and dad are both at that new tour about bonding with nature" he said as he had his eyes closed and his head facing upwards to the ceiling.

Jackie : "how long till they come back ?"

Marco : "they've been gone for only a day and it's supposed to be a 10 day tour."

Jackie : "you sure you can handle yourself ? Not to doubt your cooking skills , but you aren't exactly in the best condition to cook."

Marco : "no I'm fine. I can do it... I think"

Jackie : "I'm not going leave anyways."

Marco : "what ? Why ?"

Jackie : "Marco , you just broke up with Star and not for your typical breakup reasons. She doesn't know this but you still love her. You being in this state is very dangerous. I can't let you do any harm to yourself"

Marco : "I'm fine Jackie. I won't do anything..."

Jackie : "NO ! I'm staying here and that's final. Do you understand Diaz ?"

Marco : " yes ma'am ... but what are gonna tell your parents ?"

Jackie : "they know Star , I'm sure if I explain they'll understand"

Jackie went into the kitchen to grab something for both of them to eat.  
She stood there , thinking about what was going through her head.  
"No ... No .. but .. what if ..." She kept whispering those words to herself. She still wanted him. She always felt jealous when he and Star hanged out but she tried to suppress it anyway she could.  
She always told herself that she didn't love Marco like the way she used to. She always told herself that she loved Marco platonically , but now that the window was open , she couldn't resist it anymore.  
Marco is vulnerable , this was her only chance to make it work.  
She had it all planed out.  
She let a small sigh out and got ready to make her move.  
Marco was sitting on the couch , visibly sad.  
"Hey , I didn't find anything in the kitchen." She said as she sat next to him.  
"Oh , it's fine really" he said uninterested.  
Jackie thought to herself "it's now or never"

She scooted closer to Marco and hugged him , letting his face rest near her chest.  
"It's ok Marco. Let it out" she said in a caring tone.  
Marco broke down right there and there. The thought of Star hating him and not being able to see her ever again had scarred him beyond repair. Although he always said that it was for the better good , part of him cursed himself for doing such a thing.  
Jackie stroked Marco's hair to comfort him.  
After some time , Jackie put her hand on Marco's cheek and brought his face up.  
"Marco , you're an amazing person. You did the right thing" she assured him.  
Marco was staring into Jackie's eyes. Her words filled him with warmth. He needed someone to tell him that he'd done the right thing.  
After seconds of looking each other , Jackie made her move and jumped on Marco , kissing him.  
Marco tried to stop the kiss by pushing her away , but he accidentally pushed her on her boobs.  
She let out a mown that made Marco's attempt came to a halt , long enough for her to push her lips back to Marco's.  
She reached down to his penis and started to rub it.  
She planned to seduce him , and so far she was on track.  
Marco pushed Jackie away and and sat on the ground with his back on the couch.

"Wha... What the hell Jackie ? What did you just do ?" He said furiously as he forwend at her.  
"Come on Marco. I know you want this" she said as she slowly crawled towards him in a very seducing manner.  
Marco stood up quickly.

-"No ! What are you doing ? Jackie ! This isn't you !"

-"YES IT IS !" Jackie said as she started to cry.  
-"why can't you see it Marco , I love you !"

-"you .. you love .. me ?"

-"YES ! Ever since highschool started I wanted to ask you out , but I just wasn't brave enough. I couldn't take my eyes off you. Everyday I made sure to wake up early , just so I can skateboard past your locker , nod at you and you nod back. It made me feel like I had a connection with you"

Jackie's tears were dropping down from her cheeks to the ground as she looked away in embarrassment.

"When you where trying to confess to me , I felt like I was flying. My heart was about to explode , but then ...... then you realized that Star was the one. Not me"

-"Jackie , I had no idea that ..."

-"I thought you being happy meant that I would be happy. I thought encouraging you to go get Star would make me feel like I had let go of something... but it wasn't like that. I felt terrible when I saw you run away from me , as if a piece of me was just getting lost and I can do nothing about it."

Jackie stood up , tears still running down her face and looked at Marco , who was feeling an enormous amount of guilt.

"Marco , I'm probably the least coolest , most selfish human you can ever find. But I love you Marco. Do you love me ?"

Marco looked Jackie in the eye. He had just lost Star , was he really going to loose Jackie as well ?  
He couldn't make his mind up.  
Jackie , the girl he had a crush on for so long had admitted that she loved him , but on the other hand , Star was the one that he loved ....

But Star was gone , wasn't she ? 

He had made himself a villian in her eyes , only for her to be happy , and now she's gone. He has no one , but what if she comes back ?

The silence was all that Jackie needed to hear.  
She knew Marco , she knew what he was thinking right now.

"Wait for her then." She said.  
"When she comes back , explain everything to her." She said as she embraced Marco into a hug.  
Marco needed the hug. He had lost Star , and possibly Jackie now.  
Jackie knew this was their parting hug. Nothing can get back to normal after what she had done.  
She made sure to make this last hug count.  
After some time , she pulled away from the hug.  
She opened the door , looked at Marco and waved ...  
Both of them knew this was probably the last time they'll see each other.

"Goodbye , Jackie"

"Goodbye , Marco. Stay awesome..."


	12. She made a promise

"So ... Did you , um .. find Queen Moon and King River ?" Marco said , cautious of his words and what he used.  
"No ..." Star said with a gloomy expression while looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact with Marco.  
Marco let a few seconds pass by before asking about Janna.  
"So , where is Janna ?" He said.  
"She's ... she stayed so that we can come" Star replied in the same way she did before.

-"She stayed ? As if got captured ?"   
-"yes , she got captured"

After seeing how things had come to play , Marco cursed himself even more. Was his attempts at helping Star effective ? If not , then he had done all of it for nothing , and that scared him.  
Tom had just started to gain his vision by about then and started to mumble.  
Neither could understand what he was saying.  
Before Marco could , Star helped Tom wake up and sit upright.  
Tom massaged his head due to the pain.  
"What happened?" He said having a loose recollection.  
"Are you alright ? Are you hurt ?" Star said , worrying about him.  
"I'm fine , I'm fine" Tom said , pushing Star away. He knew that Marco always got jealous when she acted like this with him.  
"Wait , where's Janna ?" He asked after taking a look around and realizing she's nowhere to be found.  
Star and Marco both stood silent.  
Tom didn't like this sort of silence as it always indicated something bad.  
"Tell me , come on!" 

Star : "Tom , Janna got captured by the gaurds"

Tom : "captured ? How ?"

Star : "she stayed back to hold the gaurds off so that we can leave the place"

Tom : "what ? No , we gotta go get her" Tom stood up.

Marco ; "no dude , you can't. You and Star are a mess and can't fight the gaurds in this state. You need to rest."

Tom : "rest ? I don't need a rest. I'm fine as is"

Star : "Marco's right. You look terrible right now. You took quite the beating back there. You need to rest"

Tom : "I said I'M FINE !" Tom had gone into rage again. Flames coming out of his head with his eyes glowing bright red.

Star : "Tom ! Get a hold of yourself !"

Marco jumped on Tom to get a hold of him. He couldn't so as Tom pushed Marco and threw him into the TV , breaking it.  
"STOP IT TOM !" Star shouted as she used a Narwhal blast on Tom.  
Tom was thrown to the other side and the pain was enough for him to snap out of his rage.  
Star started to cry and ran upstairs to her bedroom.  
Tom helped Marco up and apologized about what he'd done.  
Both sat on the couch.

"So , Janna is your significant other ?" Marco said.

"What ? No ..." Tom tried to deny.

-"really man ? Is that your best attempt at hiding it ?"

-"ok , can we not talk about her right now ? It kinda gets into my head everytime I think about it. You know , her being captured and stuff."

-"yeah , I get it"

-"hope she's fine"

-"I'm sure she is" Marco said as he took a look at Tom who was clearly worried.

"Don't worry man ! It's Janna , she's built like a freaking tank ! I'm sure she's fine." Marco said to cheer Tom up.

"Yeah. She did make a promise to me" Tom said as a small smile started to bloom on his lips.  
"she promised"....

\----------------------

"Talk you filthy animal" Toffee said as he gave Janna another beating with a whip.  
Janna's back where bruised and the scar marks of the whip were as red as they could've been , yet she didn't give in.  
In all of his years , Toffee had never seen anyone who withstood such torment and yet act as if they were the one with the advantage.  
"Says the lizard who has never heard of hygiene" Janna said mockingly with a grin on her mouth.

"You know , I've never met anyone so loyal to their master. You must be a well treated pet , aren't you?" Toffee said as he hanged the whip and sat down on the stool that was placed in front of Janna.  
Janna was chained and in a cell that only had one tiny sliver of window on its wall.  
"Well , you must know that well treated pets don't talk." Janna replied.

Toffee had lost his patience. He may have tortured Janna physically , but not mentally yet.  
He knew many methods , but one in particular worked very well on almost any species.  
Anyone can handle being tortured , but not everyone can handle their friends and family being tortured.

Toffee asked for Queen Moon. The gaurds dragged her to Janna's cell.  
His plan was simple. Torture Moon in front of Janna and torture Janna in front of Moon. It would be a win-win situation if either of them broke.

"Janna !" Moon said surprised to see her.  
"Queen Moon !" Janna said , equally surprised.  
The soldiers chained moon up , such as Moon and Janna where chained up at either end of the cell while Toffee was in the middle.  
"Where is Star ? Is she ok ?" Moon asked her.  
"She's fine. Don't worry" Janna assured her. "But I can't tell you where she is due to this butt face putting his ears where they don't belong"  
"Enough chit chat" Toffee said as he got his whip off of the wall and rolled up his sleeves.  
"Which one shall I start with first ..." He said as she kept his whip in his hand.  
After a quick glance at both , he turned to Janna.  
"You have been a pain in the ass" he said as he started whipping.  
Janna let out screams of agony. It never got old for Toffee. He was doing this to get to his ultimate goal , but right now he's just enjoying the power that he has over other mortal beings.   
Moon kept asking Toffee to stop , but the requests only got his blood boiling even more and he got more aggressive with the whipping.  
Janna screamed , cried , shouted , begged for him to stop , but none of them even made a dent in Toffee's aggressiveness.  
He stopped after 7 minutes of continues whipping.  
Janna's entire body was covered in scars , each of them making her loose more blood by the second.  
Her vision had gotten hazy due to the sheer blood lost.  
Toffee could tell that she was never gonna give up any intel about Star.  
She was standing at the line between life and death.  
Toffee walked to Moon , who was looking at the ground.  
He grabbed her head by the hair and pulled it up and made her look at Janna.  
"You have done this. Take a good look queen of Mewni." He said as he kept her head fixated at Janna.  
Moon started to cry at the sight she saw.  
Janna was almost gone.  
She was the reason so.  
She had have enough , but she couldn't obey Toffee.  
She was the queen , and as such she was trained to only look at the bigger picture and choose what's best for everything and at this point , she just had to ignore her feelings. After all , it was how she had been taught and -to some extent- brainwashed.  
Toffee stood up and looked at one of the soldiers.  
"Take her back to her cell , and clean up this filth" he ordered as he left the cell.  
Moon kept looking as Janna's final moments left her body.  
It only took a moment. she wasn't breathing anymore.  
Janna had passed the line into death and Moon witnessed every second of it.  
Janna was gone now , forever


End file.
